NUEVO LAREDO, Tamaulipas – Five state governors are calling on the federal government to be ready to help handle a possible mass deportation of citizens from Mexico and other countries from the United States.
The five governors, from states bordering the United States held a second workshop of the Border Governors of the CONAGO (Governors National Conference) in Nuevo Laredo on Monday. The first workshop took place in Baja California last month.
Nuevo Leon Governor Jaime Rodriguez Calderon outlined the impact a mass deportation would have on services, security, education, and health. He said his state would not be able to meet the needs.
“Maybe I am going to sound a little bit like (President-Elect Donald) Trump, because even though in Nuevo Leon we are creating more jobs, we are creating them for us, for our people, for the ones that are already there,” Rodriguez Calderon said. “I think the amount of deported will be doubled, and I feel like we need to look for more resources to protect the interests of our national economy and the human safety.”
Rodriguez Calderon said that the likely impact of a Trump presidency shouldn’t scare Mexico but instead make its leaders take more responsibility for solving any problems.
“His arrival to the (U.S.) Presidency astonishes us because we dislike it, but we need to ready ourselves to solve the problems, to stop leaving everything in a complaint mode and instead establish different strategies,” Rodriguez Calderon said.
The meeting was titled, “Analysis of the Actual Migratory Situation in the Country’s Northern border.” Besides Rodriguez Calderon, other Governors present were Javier Corral Jurado of Chihuahua; Vega de Lamadrid of Baja California; García Cabeza de Vaca of Tamaulipas; and Graco Ramirez Garrido Abreu of Morelos. Garrido Abreu is the President of CONAGO.
“The north border of our country is in a hurry, is in a hurry to take actions that will allow us to build the condition needed to allow us improve the quality of life of our state population,” Garcia Cabeza de Vaca said during a press conference.
After reading a 12-point agreement document signed by the Governors, Garcia Cabeza de Vaca said the governors are hoping to reach an understanding with the federal government as soon as possible.
Corral Jurados said the border governors were able to build a political alliance in the presence of the discriminatory threat by Donald Trump.
“There’s a willpower to not only deal with more political and social implications, but to motivate changes in the paradigm of the Mexican migratory policy,” Corral Jurado said. “It’s a topic regarding human rights, it is a threat to the human rights.”
As President of the meeting, Garrido Abreu, said all decisions taken are the responsibility of the whole country, because there’s a need to recover the funds for public safety.
“With the Acuerdo de Fronteridad (Borderline Agreement) we are looking to give more support to local governments and give them freedom to handle their own funds and use them during a humanitarian crisis,” Garrido Abreu said. “And while we are demanding a better behavior towards our paisanos, we need to make an effort to strengthen the support we are giving migrants in our states.”
The governors said they have contacted officers and leaders from the United States, but they are also looking to boost the liaisons and actions being taken by Mexican organizations in the USA.
Between those leaders who are being clear in supporting international trade are Congressman Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and state Senator Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville.
“This is a clear message that shows how some leaders are aware of the brotherhood we have between both nations, because we are not only trade partners, we are a family and we depend on each other,” Garcia Cabeza de Vaca said.
But, the Tamaulipas governor said, the border governors consider it a priority and a necessity to have the support of the federal government in order to minimize the problems of living in the region.
“We as border governors are demanding Mexican President, Enrique Peña Nieto, take an attitude which can make us feel proud of him,” Rodriguez Calderon said. “We are ready and available – as long as we see actions are being taken to protect the national economy and human safety.”
The governors released a 12 points agreement, where they highlighted how the federal government has to do its part to solve topics such as immigration, organized crime, security, energy costs, gasoline, not enough basic products, human rights, health and housing.
“In the face of the threats by USA’s President-elect, regarding a massive deportation of millions of Mexican citizens, and the human rights implications, we are demanding our Federal Government take immediate actions, along with states and municipalities,” the third point of the agreement states.
The border governors also made a reference to how important is to support investors, and reject direct pressures and actions against any installation or the presence of U.S. companies in Mexico.
“We are requesting our Federal Government that any negotiation between Mexico and the United States be integral, including topics such as human rights, immigration, security, economy and environment,” the agreement states.
They also called for an end to any thought of reducing security funding. Instead, they said, an increase in funding for the Migrant Support Fund for the 2017 and 2018 period was needed. They also called for the creation of a borderline fund to cover any costs that go along with the transit, shelter and deportation of immigrants.
Furthermore, they made a reference to the need for a meeting with border governors from the USA’s southwest border.
During the event on Monday, the Commissioner from the Immigration National Institute, Ardelio Vargas Forzado, was present. A third meeting of the border governors group will take place in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. The date has yet to be determined.
